


When in Doubt, Go to the Library

by Returquoise



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Parenting, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Injury Recovery, Let's be honest Wan Shi Tong is not an ideal parent, No beta we die like mne, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Propaganda, Wan Shi Tong's Library, Worldbuilding, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, ignore everything besides ATLA cartoon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-17
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 03:14:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,397
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29520012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Returquoise/pseuds/Returquoise
Summary: "I am Wan Shi Tong, He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things, and this is my library, my domain," he answered instead, "Who are you, mortal?"The boy hesitated but answered, "I... was Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. My... the Fire Lord has banished me, with no recourse to return."akaWan Shi Tong adopts Zuko AU//More tags to be added as the story progresses. Trying to cover my bases.
Relationships: Zuko & Knowledge Seekers, Zuko & Wan Shi Tong
Comments: 182
Kudos: 421





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wan Shi Tong wishes he could hire better help.

Wan Shi Tong, He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things, did not know how to react. This was an unusual state of things, considering that he was a Knowledge Spirit of the highest order and the keeper of the largest library in the Mortal and Spirit Worlds.

"What is this?" he asked, staring down at the quivering lump of flesh and cloth at his feet.

The Knowledge Seeker shifted a bit from paw to paw, its tail taking a fast dive between its legs.

Sometimes Wan Shi Tong wished he had hands so he could shake some sense into his Seekers.

"You found it near the shore, by Ba Sing Se? Why did you bring it here? Humans are, after all, _banned_."

The Seeker shuffled around a bit and pawed behind its ear.

"You _felt like it_?" Wan Shi Tong could really use those hands now. Strangling would feel so good right now. "You're copying scrolls for the next five millennia."

The Seeker drooped a bit, but flicked its tail.

"It is not your concern anymore. Go."

The Seeker slinked into the darkness between the shelves and Wan Shi Tong turned his attention back towards the lump.

It was a small mortal in ragged clothes. Thirteen summers of age, give or take a year or two, based on the anatomy scrolls. Male, based on the same sources. Probably Earth Kingdom in origin, based on the location.

"Get up," Wan Shi Tong ordered the lump.

The lump shifted, slowly and painfully, into a kneeling position, either not having the strength or daring to get up any further. Wan Shi Tong wasn't overly concerned, it gave him more things to observe.

He was met with a pale, sweating face, half covered in bandages. Long, black hair hung in a tangled mess around the boy's shoulders. A single, scared, golden eye stared up at him.

Fire Nation, then.

Wan Shi Tong did not like that.

"Do you know who I am, mortal?" he asked.

The boy licked his lips and rasped out, "A Spirit."

Wan Shi Tong liked this less and less. "A Spirit?" he asked disbelievingly. He had expected a bit more of a reaction.

The boy flushed, whether due to embarrassment or fever, Wan Shi Tong was not overly concerned.

"I... was only taught about Agni," the boy whispered, dropping his gaze.

Wan Shi Tong scoffed but chose not to berate the boy for his lack of knowledge. That was the failure of his teachers, and children did not always know to ask for more information.

"I am Wan Shi Tong, He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things, and this is my library, my domain," he answered instead, "Who are you, mortal?"

The boy hesitated but answered, "I... was Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation. My... the Fire Lord has banished me, with no recourse to return." The boy's voice got wobblier by the end of the answer.

"Why were you by Ba Sing Se?"

Zuko shrugged helplessly, "For fath- for the Fire Lord to... get me out of the way, I think."

Wan Shi Tong knew what that meant; the boy's father had hoped his enemies would kill him. And that would be a fine excuse for the Fire Nation to attack again.

Just like humans, everything was about war and advantages.

"And what is your plan?"

Zuko looked even more lost. "Nothing. I... I have nothing. No place to return to, no place I would be welcome in, no one to miss me. Except maybe Uncle," he said reflexively, but there was doubt there.

Wan Shi Tong prized knowledge above everything. The boy did not know much of anything, that was clear. He was a blank slate with no place in the world. And Wan Shi Tong had vacancies that needed filling.

"Some years ago," he started and the boy looked up from his contemplation, "a man of your Nation came to my library. He read and read, I was delighted to have someone interested in the knowledge," Wan Shi Tong leant closer to the boy, pulling the shadows in, "But he was looking for weaknesses of the other Nations. And upon leaving, he burned large parts of my collection. Since then, _humans_ have been banned."

The boy was silent and evidently scared. And not getting it.

"You will be filling up the Fire Nation section of my library again."

"Me? But–" the boy's voice picked up an octave, "but I didn't do anything! And I don't know anywhere near enough to do that!"

"The man was from your Nation," Wan Shi Tong said bluntly, " _He_ is certainly never welcome in my library again, but I can make an exception for you. You have no ostrichorse in the race of this war. You will be here for the knowledge only."

The boy gulped, "But–"

"My Knowledge Seekers will help you in your duties. You will be given room and food, and you're free to read anything... as long as you keep fulfilling your duties. If you refuse..."

"When will I start?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, first fic on AO3 and no clue how the posting interface works. I'm also stress writing this because my Masters' is kinda killing me, so there's no plan.
> 
> I'm blaming [MuffinLance](/users/MuffinLance)'s trend of having any and all existing side characters adopt Zuko. And because a library is the best excuse to worldbuild and ramble about theories, I had to have Zuko adopted by Wan Shi Tong. 


	2. The Library – Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko starts to figure out just how unpleasant his situation actually is. And that Spirits are creepy.

The hardest thing to get used to was the darkness. It filled the vast halls and lurked between the shelves and snuck into his mind in quiet moments.

It felt oppressive.

Zuko had not been exactly… _conscious,_ when he was taken to the library, so it had taken him a few days to realize – especially with the eerie glow from the... Spirit lamps? – that the building was literally _buried in the Si Wong desert._ The suffocating weight of that realization had him stumbling out of the musty room the Knowledge Seekers had found for him, and half-run, half-stumble towards the faintest feeling of sunlight in the sprawling, cavernous halls.

The moment Zuko reached the hall he remembered having his first meeting with Wan Shi Tong in, he collapsed on the floor and just _breathed_. He could feel the trickle of sunlight caressing his back and slowly the weight eased in his chest and his head stopped spinning.

"Why–" came a cold voice from the darkness somewhere behind him and Zuko would have screamed had he had the energy, "did one of my Seekers feel the need to fetch me?"

"I'm sorry," Zuko stammered and straightened a little, but stayed on the floor. Wan Shi Tong was a Spirit and Spirits dealt with Spirit matters. Zuko did not dare to think what annoying a Spirit would do to him.

"That does not answer my question."

Zuko wavered. What could he say? The truth? The Knowledge Spirit might see it as an insult. He looked uncertainly up at the enormous owl Spirit and directly into its piercing, fathomless eyes. There was no warmth, no anything in them. Not even the coldness he was used to seeing in fath- the Fire Lord's eyes.

Wan Shi Tong stared back and after a moment...

"Answer, mortal."

Zuko flinched and scrunched his eye closed, trying to ignore the pulling feeling it caused in his... face. "I... the... the sun," he finally blurted out.

"The sun?"

"I'm a... I'm a firebender. I just... realized that your library... is underground..."

"Ah," Wan Shi Tong intoned.

Zuko couldn't bring himself to look up at the Spirit. The silence hung heavy around them.

"All the bending happens in here, this main hall," Wan Shi Tong said then and Zuko stared up in shock. "At least one hour of sunlight a day, though more is recommended. Limit the books and scrolls you bring here, some of them are too fragile for sunlight."

"I... yes sir," Zuko choked out.

Wan Shi Tong observed him, appearing... thoughtful? Though Zuko did not dare to presume what any Spirit was thinking of at any moment. Especially not one who had so much control over him at the moment.

"Your wound?" the Spirit asked then.

"My wound?"

"Yes. Is it receiving treatment?"

Wan Shi Tong was... concerned about Zuko's health? That was... weird. Zuko had always been under the impression that Spirits did not much care for the matters or wellbeing of humans. Unless they cursed or blessed someone.

The Spirit tilted his head and Zuko hurried to answer.

"Ah, no...?"

Wan Shi Tong sighed, deeply, in a frustrated manner Zuko was used to seeing from his tutors when he failed to pick up on the kata. He tensed.

But instead of scolding him, Wan Shi Tong turned towards the direction Zuko had ran into the hall from. A Knowledge Seeker slinked into view, its ears turned back.

"Have you at least _fed_ him?" Wan Shi Tong asked the Spirit, "Or have you failed in your human studies so badly that you have forgotten what constitute as _necessities for survival_?"

The Seeker shuffled a little, twitching its tail.

"Bandages mean injuries, it is not a fashion statement. Or did you miss the fever too?"

The Seeker did another random movement.

Wan Shi Tong sighed again.

Zuko had absolutely no clue how Wan Shi Tong understood the Knowledge Seekers. He wondered if _he_ would ever learn to understand them, or if the owl Spirit would be his only chance of discussion for the next however long he lived here.

"Go, you clearly can't be trusted beyond food."

The Seeker slinked off into the darkness and for a moment Zuko thought he heard... giggling? Did the other Seekers find their – friend's? colleague's? sibling's? – scolding funny?

"As for you..." and suddenly Zuko found himself at the center of the Spirit's attention again – it was not a terribly pleasant place to be.

The owl extended his wing and Zuko flinched as he felt the huge feathers brush over his face, wondering if this was how he would die. But no, instead his face felt fresher and the crummy bandages that had been on his face since the moment the Fire Navy ship dropped him off at the east coast of Earth Kingdom, were gone, replaced by clean linen.

"Th-thank you," he said uncertainly. That bandage change had been a lot less painful than any of the cursory ones he received on the ship.

"I can't have you die of infection," Wan Shi Tong stated bluntly, "It would be unsightly, and a waste of a perfectly good debt payer."

Zuko felt a rush of resentment towards both the Spirit and the Fire Nation man who had incurred the debt in the first place. What kind of _idiot_ would piss a Spirit off _on purpose_?

"If the Seekers fail to change your bandages, come find me," Wan Shi Tong ordered him and Zuko nodded. He did not know _how_ he would find the Spirit. The library was enormous, Zuko did not even dare to wonder how many floors it was, he could make out at least ten with more disappearing down into darkness if he peered over the railing.

The railings and the walkways would be a nightmare when he got around to practicing firebending again. He liked the more acrobatic moves but he would not dare to try any out for a while. Especially while lacking depth perception.

When he looked around again, the Knowledge Spirit had disappeared, leaving Zuko alone in the hall. He decided not to worry about finding his room yet and instead settled down to meditate in the center of the walkways. He closed his eyes and just breathing, taking in meager sunlight that trickled down from the high-up windows.

He did not know how long he sat there, in the quiet. Distantly, he wondered, if this would be the most sunlight he would receive in the coming years. He hoped not but wouldn't dare to say anything on the subject. Not until he figured out more about his situation.

It was pretty peaceful, anyway. And... his face didn't even hurt that much? Maybe Wan Shi Tong used some Spiritual pain reducing method?

He wasn't sure he wanted to have Spirit magic used on him.

Something nudged him. His eye snapped open and he flinched away.

The Knowledge Seeker snuffled – uncertainly? – and tilted its head, staring at Zuko.

"Hi?" Zuko said uncertainly.

The Knowledge Seeker tilted its head in the other direction.

"What is it?" Zuko asked, feeling supremely stupid, "I don't understand you, you know," he felt necessary to add.

The Seeker _rolled its eyes._

"Hey!"

Zuko scowled at the Seeker who ignored the glare and trotted towards the darkness. At the end of the walkway it stopped and turned to stare back at Zuko. The thing clearly wanted him to follow it. 

They stared at each other for the moment, until Zuko gave a deep, frustrated sight and scrambled upright. He followed after the Seeker, looking around curiously as he went. He had been pretty much bedbound until he realized he was underground and he hadn't really looked around.

The long, winding corridors between the bookshelves seemed to disappear into abyss, barely illuminated by the eerie, greenish glow from the wall sconces. Occasionally he would spot a Knowledge Seeker or two darting between the shelves, with scrolls in protective casings or books in their mouths. He could smell the dust and old paper in the air. The only way to navigate were the tiny plaques at the ends of the shelving units and there was no immediate way to figure out where each of the sections was in relation to the main hall – or Zuko's own bedroom. He was pretty sure they hadn't moved a level, but otherwise he was completely lost.

He really hoped there was a map somewhere.

An unclear time later they came upon a staircase and the Knowledge Seeker headed directly down the stairs, after shooting a look at Zuko over its shoulder. He tried to keep count on how many levels they went down but he found himself unable to do so. Whether that was due to Spirit shenanigans or something else, he wasn't sure.

He _did_ know that he didn't like it.

They moved away from the stairs, between the shelves.

However, at this point the likelihood of him escaping the Spirit Library was very small, and certainly not while still recovering. And even if he did leave, where would he go? Uncle had _claimed_ that he would follow Zuko from the Fire Nation after he "took care of some affairs" but if Zuko was honest… he couldn't think of a reason why anyone would bother to do that, much less Uncle. Not with Zuko being who he was and his inexistent luck. He forced the thought away.

He couldn't afford to ponder on the impossible.

Whatever the case, he was essentially stuck in the Library for the foreseeable future.

"Where are we going?" he asked some minutes past the point he was well and truly lost.

The Seeker ignored him and because Zuko wasn't going to stay here alone, he had no other choice but to follow along. Soon after that, the smell in the air changed. It gained a smoky, stuffy quality to it and suddenly Zuko knew _exactly_ where they were.

At the section of the Library that had been burned by the _idiot_ who angered Wan Shi Tong.

They turned a corner.

Zuko stared in disbelief.

"I really want to kill that guy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Zuko will always hate Zhao, that is never a question. And there's even an excellent excuse!
> 
> I post random stuff on [tumblr](https://returquoise.tumblr.com/).
> 
> I fixed some typos and messy sentence structure in the prologue.


	3. The Library – Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko starts considering a career in interior decorating. And cooking. He did nix the new haircut.
> 
> Also, Knowledge Seekers like fussing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the rating has gone up! This chapter also includes Fire Nation propaganda.

Zuko had been half tempted to poke around the huge, ashy mess – very carefully not thinking about how burnt paper fortunately smelled _nothing_ like burnt hair or flesh – but the Knowledge Seeker had grabbed him by the hem of his tunic and dragged him away from the mess.

"What?" Zuko demanded, "Isn't it my job to somehow... fix _that_?" he waved his hand at the mess, uncertain how to describe it. Because the mess was absolutely enormous and all over the place. He was pretty sure he would never clear it up completely.

He was going to find the section on curses and curse the guy who did this, somehow. Just watch him.

The Seeker huffed a little and looked at Zuko like he was stupid. He _felt_ pretty stupid and did not like it at all.

"What?" he repeated, more grumpily.

The Seeker sighed through the cloth in its mouth and tugged again.

Zuko pursed his lips but followed. He knew the Seekers were Spirits as well – hello, context – but they were _minor_ Spirits and they were nowhere near as scary as Wan Shi Tong.

They were actually kind of cute, but that was beside the point.

Despite their minor status, he was not going to piss them off or outright disobey. Although he was getting a bit tired after the long trek so his politeness was slowly but steadily drifting away. Not good.

Zuko hoped the Seeker would drag him back to his room.

It was Zuko's first stroke of luck since he was about ten years old, because after a long time of wandering the library, they finally came upon a familiar looking stretch of wall. Zuko sighed in relief and all but slumped against the doorway of the small chamber he had been convalescing in since being brought into the library.

From what he could tell, the chamber hadn't been meant for human habitation, in so much as occasional human use. If he had to guess, he would say that it had been used as a private study space at some point in the past; there was a table, a chair, shelves, creepy Spirit lamp right above the table, with another two by the door, and a box full of dusty writing utensils, that had probably lain there, unused, for centuries. The Knowledge Seekers had produced a futon mattress from – somewhere – and wedged it along one of the room edges, so that Zuko's legs were under the table when he was laying down.

It was simultaneously derelict, cozy and depressing.

And it was going to be his room.

Zuko sighed again.

The Knowledge Seeker playing his guide visibly drooped.

And Zuko panicked.

"Ah, no, it's a nice chamber, ju-just a bit drab?" he said weakly, "It doesn't really... really feel that homey yet? I just need to... decorate it somehow!"

He wasn't sure what constituted as "homey," but it had to be better than this greenish cave. He had only lived in palaces that had always felt a bit stuffy, so he didn't even have proper experience in homey things. The Ember Island vacation house was probably the closest he had ever experienced and even that was a bit stuffy.

Living underground would be bad enough without his own room looking like a literal cave.

The Seeker tilted its head, appearing thoughtful. It was probably planning to drag him off to somewhere again.

"Not _now_ , obviously. I'm too tired and my..." he hesitated, hut plunged on, "my scar's starting to hurt. But later? Tomorrow maybe?"

The Seeker was already nodding as it bustled into the chamber, took a hold of Zuko's blanket and looked at him meaningfully.

Zuko had to stare.

"Are you... planning to tuck me in?" he asked, disbelievingly. The last time he had been tucked in, it was Mother who had done it. He... wasn't quite sure he felt about being tucked in a by a Spirit.

At least it wasn't Wan Shi Tong.

The Seeker gave him another meaningful look and Zuko figured he better obey. It was a bit of a production, the fox Spirit huffing and shuffling, its snout full of cloth that it desperately tried to tug on him properly. When it finally succeeded, it stepped back with a proud look in its eyes.

Zuko really did not know what to do.

"Uh... thank you? Good night?"

The Seeker shuffled, nudging Zuko's shoulder, and then pounded out of the room and into the darkness of the library.

Zuko slept surprisingly well.

* * *

Recovering from a disfiguring facial burn was not fun and it was an experience Zuko would never recommend to anyone. Although technically, not recovering would mean _dying_ from it, so maybe he had to recommend it if the situation required it. Beyond the semantics, however, it _sucked._ It was painful, uncomfortable, and disgusting with all the bandage changes. Unfortunately the Knowledge Seekers couldn't just randomly wave their paws to change them, like Wan Shi Tong could.

Not that Zuko was going to go out on his way to find the Spirit for a painless bandage change. He at least liked to think of himself as somewhat intelligent.

So he dealt with Knowledge Seekers and their paws, which were surprisingly agile for being, well, paws. It seemed that as long as the Seekers didn't need to walk at the same time, they could stand on two back legs and use their front paws as hands.

(Unless he found the kitchen himself, and learnt to cook, he would spend the rest of his life on boxed meals because that was the only way the Seekers could transport them.)

There was also the fact that Zuko did not dare to touch his face. Or look at it, but for that he would have needed a mirror. So for now, he was content to pretend that he couldn't see anything out of his own choice, and that his face was still normal.

Being fussed over by the Seekers was surprisingly pleasant. There were moments when they reminded him of the servants at the palace, and others when they were nothing like it. The Seekers were more than willing to deal with his... injury, and food. But for washing and dressing, they simply showed him a long forgotten but recently washed bathroom, and piles of clothes in another room acquired from... somewhere.

After his comment about the drapness of his chamber, they had also been quick to bring him to another random room with furniture, textiles, and a collection of random knick knacks.

The amount of stuff in the library – that was not actually books or scrolls – was mind staggering.

"Are you _hoarding_?" he asked the Seeker babysitting him in the knick knack room.

The Seeker looked a bit embarrassed at the question.

"Oh, you just don't want to admit it."

Honestly, in hindsight, Uncle probably had the same problem.

Well, it was lucky for him, if nothing else. At least he could do something about his chamber, room, whatever. Nook?

"Please help me with this chest, I'll stuff it full of clothes from the other room."

Zuko was going to start with the necessities, what did he need to live here. He had a bed, food delivery, and a bathroom. Which meant he needed clothes and comfort but clothes were more important for now.

The clothing room had to have some kind of Spirit magic holding it together. There were clothes from all Nations and he had seen some of the Fire Nation styles only in history books. Despite the sheer amount of stuff, he couldn't afford to be too picky. Not everything was in his size, let alone in a practical style.

There was no way he was wearing the furs. He would die from the heat.

And the very idea of wearing the orange and yellow robes made him... uneasy. He wasn't interested in wearing the clothes of the Nation whose army had stolen the very air their lungs generations ago. And the Nation his great-grandfather had ordered wiped out for their crimes.

So he was left mixing and matching mostly red, green and brown clothes, with a few blue items thrown in for variety. Not that he was terribly keen on the clothes of dirt eaters who crushed people alive underground, and pirate savages who attacked Fire Nation ships in the night.

The end result was unique if nothing else.

Fortunately everyone seemed to favor clothes that closed at the front and he didn't have any cloth rubbing against his face. His hair was troublesome enough on that front that he had been tempted to cut it all off. He was never going back anyway, might as well make the break clean and traditional.

He couldn't bring himself to do that, however. Not when the last thing he remembered if his Mother was a dreamlike moment of her pressing her cheek against his hair.

_"No matter how things may seem to change, never forget who you are."_

He wasn't sure how that would work out here, hidden beneath the sands of Si Wong desert, in the shadowed halls of Wan Shi Tong's Spirit Library, away from the Fire Nation and even the sun.

Zuko couldn't really see how he could remain himself in these circumstances.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Basically just worldbuilding. The library residents have obvious hoarding tendencies, so Zuko's obviously gonna call it out.
> 
> I post random stuff on [tumblr](https://returquoise.tumblr.com/).


	4. The Library – Part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko wants to live in the theatre section. And Wan Shi Tong doesn't appreciate recycling.

Zuko's first several weeks in the library consisted of languishing in his room, sitting in the middle of the walkways of the central hall in the meager sunlight, digging around in the hoard rooms, and, best of all, haunting the section on theatre scrolls from across all Nations throughout the entire history of the world. Things were _finally_ looking up for him. No one seemed to expect him to tackle the burned Fire Nation section of the library yet, so he tried to find whatever light in the darkness that he could.

Zuko prided himself in his work ethic – he completed every task he was given to the best of his abilities, sometimes trying to go even beyond the requirements. This hadn't worked out for him that often – whenever he tried to over extend himself, he tended to fail at some crucial point – and he knew that when the time came, he would be stuck at that one section by is own work ethic if nothing else.

He still hadn't completely ruled out the possibility that Wan Shi Tong would do _something_ to him.

So given... everything... he was very happy to have some time to himself that he could spend reading plays. He had never had a chance to read most of these – they simply didn't exist anymore at all, or they hadn't been collected to the Fire Nation palace's library.

The endless row of Earth Kingdom's King plays could not be as interesting as they purported themselves to be. There must be at least some duds, right?

The Air Legion seemed to favor philosophical think pieces and... comedies? Zuko stared in bafflement at the short abstract of a play called _How To Have A Laugh_ , in which the jokes did not seem to be about the gruesome ways one can use air to kill people.

He shook his head and peeked into the Water Tribe play section. As he perused the scrolls, he was astounded to discover detailed instructions on hand signals or even dance steps preceding many plays, as well as dotting the pages between lines of dialogue and narraion. It was... mostly shadow puppetry and dancing, from what he could tell. Would he even be able to get the full experience of the story if he just read it out?

Zuko's gaze darted around the various sections, not knowing how to tackle any of it. He would leave them for later... or never.

The Fire Nation romances had always, embarrassingly, been more his speed anyway. He was excited beyond measure to find a copy of _Romance of the Temple_ , a play that had been lost generations ago, and of which only fragments survived of.

It was the play Mother had most wished to read or see, if she could bring back a lost play.

It was a thrilling epic a Fire Sage who fell in love with the princess, and it had bandits and broken promises and at the end, the princess faked her death in order to marry the young Sage. It was beautiful and tragic and had firebending fights. And it also had the main characters rebelling against the Fire Lord.

Which no Fire Lord who Zuko had ever known would have liked.

It made him suspect that the Royal Family had banned the play at some point – the surviving fragments and mentions of the play alluded to that but it wasn't stated explicitly anywhere. It was a pity because the play was really good, especially the princess's soliloquy on duty to oneself, with a flame used as a metaphor.

Although that part was vaguely familiar, he was pretty sure there had been a similar metaphor in the history play _Light of Sozin_ about the Nation being a flame that needed to be fed.

 _The Romance of the Temple's_ soliloquy on viewing oneself as a flame that needed to be fed so that it could continue to provide light and warmth to others was much more refined. And beautiful in a way that it gripped Zuko's heart with indescribable sorrow.

"I did not take you for a friend of the theatre."

Zuko's heart just about jumped out through his chest with fright at Wan Shi Tong's voice. He scrambled upright, clutching the play scroll against his chest, staring up at the owl Spirit.

"A... am I not supposed to read them?" he asked weakly.

Wan Shi Tong shook his head, "No, you're free to read whatever you please," he tilted his head and Zuko shifted uneasily, "Did you enjoy it?"

"Very much, sir," Zuko answered, "Especially the princess's soliloquy."

"Ah, yes," Wan Shi Tong mused, gliding down the corridor little ways, peering along the titles in the shelves, "Wung Lo indeed had a way with the words, a very masterful touch. There are twelve other plays by her."

"There are?!" Zuko forgot all about his fear and unease as he skidded to a stop next to Wan Shi Tong, his eye roving fast and curious for the mentioned plays.

Wan Shi Tong gave him a sort of... baffled? look, and motioned with his wing. "Yes, right here."

Zuko took the pile of books and scrolls reverently from the shelf, "I've never even heard of these," he breathed out in awe, " _Romance in the Temple_ had at least some surviving fragments but these..."

He must be first human to read them in _generations._ Zuko couldn't wait to read these lost masterpieces, feel the emotions they're meant to evoke. There was something very humbling about that realization. He felt a stab of sadness at not being able to _see_ them performed on stage. He ruthlessly showed aside the hope of that happening in some distant future.

"It warms my heart to see people enjoy reading."

Zuko flinched in surprise at the voice and peeked up at Wan Shi Tong again. He had all but forgotten about his... guardian's? employer's? presence.

"Yeah. Reading is... nice."

What was he supposed to _say_? How did one talk about _reading_ with a _Spirit?!_

"You're reading only Fire Nation plays?"

"Uhh... yes. I... don't really get the others," Zuko answered, "Earth Kingdom doesn't seem to have... a lot of variety."

Wan Shi Tong hmm'ed, "There are quite a few more rows of Earth Kingdom plays. But yes, King plays are the most prevalent. They do have their value, however, despite the lack of... _variety._ "

Zuko flushed a little but didn't refute the Spirit. He had just shared his impression that he had got wandering around the place. It wasn't his fault he hadn't encountered anything besides King plays.

He had read some similar plays, exclusively about Fire Lords and they had been _so boring_. So much backstabbing and politics. Some were good, but those that were only politics would have worked as sleeping aids.

"What value does a play have if not the interesting story and beautiful language?" Zuko asked instead.

"In the case of the King plays," Wan Shi Tong started, taking on a lecturing tone, "they describe many historical events – with some embellishments, granted, – but they also describe the social and cultural structures of Earth Kingdom. They especially describe the court life and its intricacies, the belief systems the Earth King learns. Similarly, the philosophical monologues by the Air Nomads can tell a reader much about their spiritual beliefs, what aspects of air cause schisms between the different Temples. The very nature of material available on the Water Tribes on the other hand, tells much about their way of life. It's harsh on the Poles, and the resources are scarce. Due to this, verbal storytelling has a much more prominent role than plays, and plays itself are mostly shadow puppetry, or dancing – things, that do not require extra resources that could be used for something else."

Wan Shi Tong gave a mournful sigh at this, "For a librarian, it's _infuriating_. The Water Tribes so rarely write anything down – only the most important things – and then they use it until it has all but disintegrated. Or they _recycle_ their parchment; scratch away the old text and write something new instead. And their other materials are hard to archive; I have a beautifully embroidered wall hanging, depicting the Moon and Ocean meeting for the first time. But I only have so many walls. The carved bone calendars are near impossible to keep in order..."

That devolved into a muttered complaints that Zuko couldn't make out anymore. But it did sound interesting, put like that, and a part of him was itching to take another tome or two for a read. Except his arms were full of Wung Lo's plays that hadn't been read for hundreds of years, by anyone. He wondered what Fire Nation plays told of his country by their very existence, because he had never had a reason to wonder about it.

"I... guess so, sir," he muttered.

Wan Shi Tong was still muttering to himself and didn't hear a word. Zuko stood for a moment before giving a mental shrug, a slight bow, and slinking into the darkness, towards his own room. He had his reading material and he would return to the play section again at a later date.

He could still hear Wan Shi Tong muttering to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I spent way too long thinking about differences in theatre culture and I hope they make sense. Of course there's overlap and stuff but sometimes, you just gotta ramble and worldbuild some. 
> 
> Side note on parchment: because it is made from untanned animal skin, it really can he recycled by scratching old ink off. Granted, if you reuse it too many times, you'll get a hole in the middle of it.
> 
> Mostly I'm just extrapolating on things we see/hear in the show, and throwing in random real wold stuff that could, potentially make sense. 
> 
> I post random stuff on [tumblr](https://returquoise.tumblr.com/).


	5. The Scar – Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko learns life skills. Including traumatic burn care. Wan Shi Tong is Not Good At Parenting™

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! The end of the chapter includes description of burn care and Zuko's first impressions of his scar.

The longer Zuko spent in the library, the more he relaxed. He knew what his status was and what was expected of him, and he was learning new things. After a month the Seekers had started dragging him to both the kitchen – usually armed with a cookbook fetched from the cooking section – and to the laundry, both for the express purpose of him learning to do things himself.

He did not like it and had, at first, firmly refused to touch a pail of water full of clothes. Zuko and the Seeker babysitting him had had a staring contest – which Zuko lost because he had only one usable eye. Then the Seeker had flounced smugly out.

Rebelliously, Zuko had still refused to touch the pail and had gone back to his theatre scrolls. He might have been banished, but he was a _prince_.

Wan Shi Tong had been unsympathetic: "The Seekers have better things to do than chores for you. Swallow your pride and learn."

The battle of wills had lasted until Zuko ran out of clean clothes, after which he had been forced to wash all of his clothes. It hadn't been done particularly well but for his second wash a Seeker showed him how to do it properly. The help the Seekers could give him was very much limited by the gestures and vague expressions they could make – as they could not speak, being foxes. Spirit Owls seemed to be able to talk though...

But clothes washing managed to fold itself into his routine rather seamlessly eventually.

The washing room also had the distinction of being one of the places Wan Shi Tong spoke to him the most.

Zuko had been minding his own business, elbow-deep in the sudsy water, washing his sheets and under-layers, when he suddenly felt a presence in the doorway. He looked slowly up at intimidating figure of the Knowledge Spirit, set down his washing and leant back in his kneeling position on the floor. Paying attention when being spoken to, tended to mitigate at least some of the irritation people generally felt towards him.

"It seems like you've been put to work," Wan Shi Tong remarked while observing him with his expressionless, black owl eyes.

"Ah... yes, sir," Zuko said, feeling uncomfortable, "It is... it's growing on me." He was lying but he figured being truthful wouldn't help his situation

"I see," Wan Shi Tong said.

Zuko returned to the scrubbing, trying to ignore the potentially judging eyes of his guardian? warden? employer? or whatever Wan Shi Tong was to him at the moment. He worked in silence for a moment or two, waiting for Wan Shi Tong to tell him what he wanted. He stopped immediately when the Owl Spirit began to speak.

"You've been here for two months. It is time to take off the bandages."

It felt as if Zuko's stomach made a little flip. He was not comfortable with that idea at all. For the past two months he had gotten used to the fact that he had a limited vision and that there were bandages all over his face at all times.

He didn't want to know what was beneath the bandages. There was no way it would be pretty, not after–

He shook the thought away.

"Now?" he asked, hoping his voice didn't sound as weak as he felt.

"I suppose you can finish your chore," Wan Shi Tong mused, not seeming terribly invested, "I have gathered some writings on burn care," the owl motioned towards the small, rickety table by the doorway, that now had several scrolls and a lonely book placed on it."

"Thank you, sir," Zuko said, eyeing the pile with certain dread.

"You should be able to handle any further treatment yourself in the future," Wan Shi Tong continued, as if he hadn't heard, "The Seekers have reported that your face is healing well enough, and the threat of infection is minimal."

"Yes, sir."

"Keep in mind that if you fail to treat your burn appropriately, there may be complications. In which case _I_ will be required to step in."

There was a certain feeling of threat in that statement and Zuko resolved to take care of his own face, no matter how unpleasant it would turn out to be. He nodded nervously at the order. Wan Shi Tong returned the nod and then disappeared into the shadows.

The scrolls and the book laid on the table like a looming ghost, waiting for Zuko to finish his washing. He took his time, carefully scrubbing at even the smallest and most insignificant stains. He hung his clothes and sheets carefully, making sure not to leave any creases anywhere. He preferred to skip ironing if at all possible, finding that the presence of heated metal made him nervous.

Which was shameful for a firebender and a prince.

So he did his very best to do his washing and hanging without making any further work for himself whenever possible. In this case, it also bought him some time to avoid the awaiting burn care.

But finally he had nothing left to do. Reluctantly, he gathered up the healing manuals and started heading back to his room. Slowly, he wandered through the winding corridors of the library, hoping to see something to distract him from his task for just a moment longer. Zuko spotted only a few lonely Seekers lurking between the shelves, carrying their burdens. He kept a vague eye on the labels at the end of each shelving unit, hoping to spot a new topic to read, but nothing jumped at him. He had walked this particular route enough times to know that he was not interested enough in the agriculture of any of the four nations to read up on it.

He still remembered the required agriculture reading he had had to do as a prince. So many notes on weather.

Finally he arrived back in his room and settled down to sit on his futon. He pulled the box of healing supplies the Seekers had produced from somewhere out from the lowest shelf and just stared at it for a moment. His stomach was churning uncomfortably.

Zuko forced his gaze away and unrolled the nearest scroll, focusing on the instructions. His scar needed air and protection from sunlight – easy, considering he was underground, although he would need to figure out some sort of temporary covering for his required one hour of sunlight a day – and that there was a risk of his scar drying out and cracking. He would need to apply burn cream for the foreseeable future, maybe even for the rest of his life, and stretch the scar to keep it malleable.

The other manual said basically the same things – although at least one included some sort of dancing ritual and prayers for Agni's mercy – so he soon ran out of things to do in order to avoid the actual treatment part.

Zuko opened the box of healing supplies and surveyed the contents. The ointments were clearly labeled and he reluctantly picked out the correct one, and then just sat there, on his bed. Hoping for _something_ to happen so that he wouldn't have to do this.

He closed his eye, resigned and started unwinding the bandages around his head. He wasn't sure what condition his actual eye was in, but eyes closed he would at least pretend his inability to see was by _choice_.

He hoped he would be able to see out of his eye. Depth perception would be incredibly useful if he ever wanted to firebend or use his swords again. Actually, it would also prevent him from running into the occasional column and bookshelf in here.

Finally the bandages were pooled in his lap and his head was bare. Hesitantly, he raised his hand to run his fingers gently over the edge of the scar, barely holding in a flinch at the sensation.

Just for a second, the smell of burning hair and flesh tickled his nose and he held in the urge to vomit.

The scar was dry, bumpy, and leathery. It reminded him of lizardviper skin.

Zuko let his fingers wander over his eye socked, noting the lack of eyebrow and eyelashes, and that the eyelid itself felt warped. His left ear reminded him of a dried, shriveled fruit.

He considered applying the ointment without opening his eyes but dismissed the idea. He would _need_ to open his eyes sooner or later, and he had never been a quitter. Slowly, he blinked his eyes.

The eyelid was definitely warped, it pulled uncomfortably at the scar tissue around it. But he _could_ see. Not as clearly as used to, but it wasn't a total foggy mess he was greeted with. He felt his shoulders relaxing just a tad at that realization. And if he was lucky, maybe part of the fogginess was caused by keeping the eye closed for two months and it would clear up a bit.

He tried not to hope for that too fervently.

Resolutely he picked up the small vat of ointment and started to rub it all over his scar, trying not to think about the things he could feel and how he would look for the rest of his life.

He was just grateful that there were no mirrors anywhere he could see.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, uhhh, a bit of a downer this time around? Don't worry, I want to get back to fun worldbuildy things too. 
> 
> Also! jalfal64 wrote a gift fic based on my theatre ramblings! Go show them some love *w*
> 
> I post random stuff on [tumblr](https://returquoise.tumblr.com/).


	6. The Job – Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko starts doing his actual job, and the Author nerds out about old stuff (hello, I'm a history major, oops).

The sunlight felt wonderful.

Zuko was sitting in the middle of the highest crossroad of walkways beneath the only spot that let sunlight in, eyes closed, just breathing. Part of him wanted to slump his shoulders in relaxation, but years of strict tutoring kept his posture perfect and straight. He had already sat there for over and hour, pretty content with his lot in life.

He was less likely to think on what was not well in his life, if he was meditating or reading.

But after weeks of reading Fire Nation plays, still not quite daring to venture into other Nations, he had decided to take a break by sitting in the sun as long as he pleased.

Which would still not be quite enough, what with the stupid architecture of the library. He had thought that the Palace library had ridiculously few windows, but this took the cake.

But despite the sorry amount of light, Zuko had obeyed the medical advice in Wan Shi Tong's scrolls. He had fashioned a lopsided eye-patch of sorts to protect his scar from the nearly nonexistent sunrays.

A shadow fell over him and his eyes snapped open. Wan Shi Tong loomed over him, his head tilted to the side.

"Good day, sir," Zuko said quietly.

"How are you feeling?" Wan Shi Tong was not one for courtesies.

"Well, thank you."

Wan Shi Tong nodded slowly, "Good. Then I believe it's time to brief you on your duties."

Zuko's stomach flopped uncomfortably, remembering the blackened section of the library, still smelling of smoke.

"Yes sir," he answered.

Wan Shi Tong glided through the corridors at a gentle pace and Zuko had no trouble keeping up. He pulled his eye-patch off as he walked, hanging the decorative rope tying his robe closed. Soon they arrived at that blackened section, which had had new Spirit lamps brought to it sometime during the past month.

Zuko stopped, uncertain. Wan Shi Tong waved his wing over an empty nook by the mess and it lit up with a new Spirit lamp and the small shelves and compartments on its walls filled with scrolls, books, brushes and ink stones. A chair had appeared from out of nowhere as well.

"Your main duty," Wan Shi Tong started, "will be to copy books and scrolls from the Fire Nation. This section used to be filled by extra copies of the originals but such things do not exist of old books or documents anymore. My Seekers used to simply fetch extra copies from officials, archives, libraries, bookbinders, bookshops... They can still do it with newer material and they will be doing so. But the older material... as for those, the Seekers will be borrowing an official copy from somewhere. And _you_ will make an exact copy of it for my collection, after which the Seekers shall return the borrowed copy. Do you understand?"

Zuko nodded, feeling a bit overwhelmed and not daring to say anything. He was just relived that he wouldn't need to remember anything by heart. He was also, suddenly, extremely grateful that he had actually done rather well at his art classes. Because judging by his instructions, he would need to copy those too.

"The tomes will be brought to you as the Seekers find them. In some cases, it has been centuries since they had to get them, so finding exact locations may take time. If you have any knowledge due to your status, do tell the Seekers. It'll make both of your jobs much easier," Wan Shi Tong continued, "Fortunately my library catalogue–" a wave of the wing brought an absolutely enormous tome on a stand into existence right by the desk nook "–is fully intact. As you finish, file the books and scrolls according to it. If any bookbinding is necessary, mark it, and leave it for the Seekers."

Zuko couldn't help but wonder if block printing all of this would be easier but didn't dare to say it. His hand was going to be _killing_ him.

Instead he eyed the library catalogue with dread. It was nowhere big enough to contain information on the entire Spirit Library, but it was still the biggest book he had ever seen in his life. He definitely wouldn't have able to lift it from its stand.

Wan Shi Tong gave a dark look at the burned history, politics, military, and geography section, before he glided off to do... owly things.

Zuko observed his work nook; it appeared to have everything necessary – except for colored inks, he thought with a frown, as he shifted through the ink stones. None of them had a color name stamped to the side, which meant he would be in trouble when it came time to do any illustrations.

He would need to ask for some, but to do it now or later, when he _actually_ needed them?

Better do it now.

He cleared his throat uncertainly, "Uuhhh, excuse me?"

A Seeker slinked out of the shadows immediately and came to a stop by his feet, its ears flickering curiously.

Zuko _really_ wanted to pet it, but refrained.

"I need colored ink stones," he told it, "Máudep branded, from–" he hesitated for a moment, trying to remember the name of the island, "Hofunamishi. Every color you can _legally_ get," he was pretty sure some of the hoard was literally stolen, but if he was lucky, they would have some of the rarer pigments already and he wouldn't be stealing from his people, "or already have here."

The Seeker huffed, but bobbed its head and ran off. Zuko gave a tired sigh and slumped into his new work chair, wiggling a little to find a comfortable position. The shelves on the right side of the nook seemed to have a few scrolls in... tubes? waiting to be copied, while on the left, empty shelves awaited.

He pulled a tube out, on which he now spotted the text – _Unification Treaty of the Isles under Fire Lord Kazunori : Royal Library, closed section, row 5, shelf 3, cubicle 87_ – and promptly choked. Zuko stared down at the tube and couldn't _believe_ he was holding such an important document in his hands. It was... unbelievable! They didn't let _anyone_ see, let alone hold, documents this old.

And a Seeker had _just borrowed it and brought it halfway across the world._

How was Zuko supposed to even open or read this? Let alone _copy_?!

He heard steps behind him and whirled around, eyes wide. The Seeker from before was padding over to him, carrying a basket that appeared to be filled to the prim with ink stones.

"How do I do this?!" Zuko asked in a panicked whisper, "I'm scared to _open_ this!"

His impulse was to wave the tube around but the fear of damaging the scroll inside stayed his hand.

The Seeker seemed to sigh, placed to the basket beneath the table and nosed open a drawer. It seemed to be full of, Zuko frowned, junk. There were several pillows, some sort beaded rope and even gloves, as well as some sort of wooden contraption made up of board and sticks. The Seeker rose to its two back feet and started bringing things out of the drawer, most notably the board and the beaded rope.

Then, before Zuko could think to stop it, it snatched the tube right form his hands, screwed it open and unrolled the first part of the scroll on the board. It tried to roll itself back up, but the rope was draped over the edges of the paper, apparently weighing it down.

"Oh," Zuko said, feeling a bit stupid. He suddenly had a _very_ vague recollection of one of the Sages who used to tutor him, doing something similar.

"Thank you," he told the fox spirit, now daring to relax back into his chair. The Seeker huffed, nudged his knee, and disappeared to do Seeker things.

For a moment, he just stared at the... _643 year old piece of Fire Nation history._ He considered the gloves for a moment, before pulling a pair on his hands and leaning closer to peer at the document, drinking in the words like a man drowning. This was the piece of paper that had raised his family to the Dragon Throne, that had united the warring islands under a single ruler.

_On the 45th year of the Earth Avatar Xun..._

Zuko was so concentrated on reading the treaty and how Avatar Xun had ordered Fire Nation to organize themselves under a single ruler that he almost forgot that he was supposed to be copying the scroll. He kept glancing at the text, sounding out the older Temple symbols that had fallen out of use and into purely symbolic use, as he ground the ink stone into the tray.

After selecting a scroll and a brush, he started carefully copying the text in his neatest handwriting, hoping that he remembered the order of strokes in some of the rarer symbols.

_... under a single ruler... purchase of grain and goods... monsoon season... raiders on the Earth Kingdom coast..._

Zuko stopped, frowning down at the words he had just written, and at the original document on it's stand. That was not a wording he was familiar with. The islands had been united to make buying grain easier when the floods took their crop, yes, but what was this about _raiders_? It looked as if... the people of the islands who lost their crops and homes, took to raiding Earth Kingdom after monsoon season to make up for the losses.

But that didn't make any sense! Zuko had never heard of such a thing.

Still frowning, he continued copying more slowly, really taking the time to read what he was actually writing down. Lord Kazunori had been chosen as the single ruler, because he was the Lord of the biggest island and had the most resources to buy food for the people.

Zuko had been under the impression that Lord Kazunori had been chosen because he was the most devout follower of Agni, as the High Fire Sage of the islands. His wealth hadn't even generally come up, he was just described the same as any other lord – except for the devotion.

This was really confusing. Was the Treaty lying... or had his tutors been the ones doing the lying?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now we're finally getting to the bread and butter of my stress writing! This actually has so many levels of my special interests that it's literally funny/sad. But a few notes:
> 
> Printing would not make it easier, Zuko's just desperate. Doing all that work for one single copy, with old printing techniques? Yeah, nope.
> 
> I have held century old photographs in my hands, I have handled a 14th century page of a parchment manuscript and the fear of handling them right is Real™
> 
> Vathara's fic Embers is peak worldbuilding and some things will probably slip into this fic as well. I will try my best to do my own spin, but uniting Fire Nation is definitely partly inspired by that fic. This is also me desperately trying to throw webs of connections and reasons at made up events, lol.
> 
> Also as a side note, one of the things I don't like about Avatar worldbuilding is super long lifespans, which means I have done some fiddling. Also, everything you know from Korra or comics doesn't exist unless otherwise specified.
> 
> I post random stuff on [tumblr](https://returquoise.tumblr.com/).


	7. Interlude – Iroh

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iroh is worrying™ and plotting™

A gently tickling but deceptively strong Eastern wind blew over the deck of the ship, ruffling Iroh's beard. He stroked it into order, distracted as he was, frowning towards the Earth Kingdom coast gliding by in the distance on their starboard side.

It had taken him longer than he had planned to gather a crew and acquire a ship. He had been days late on his initial plan by the time he departed from the Fire Nation, hopefully without ruffling his brother's feathers too much.

But clearly it hadn't been enough.

Iroh had planned to visit Zuko in the Palace infirmary, only for the boy to remain unconscious the entire time. He had wished to give boy instructions... that Iroh would pick him up from Earth Kingdom, as soon as possible. But Zuko hadn't been awake to hear it.

Iroh had ended up leaving a note hidden in the boy's sock. It either hadn't been noticed or...

Or Zuko was lost, dead or imprisoned somewhere in the Eastern Earth Kingdom.

The boy hadn't been at the spot Iroh had mentioned in the note, nor anywhere nearby. In fact, there had been no signs of _anyone_ having been anywhere near that area in a long time. There had been only some paw prints from animals Iroh had never quite learned to recognize.

He hadn't given up entirely yet. Instead he had delayed his initial plan just a bit and ordered Lieutenant Jee to have the ship follow the coastline Southwards, away from the ever looming walls of the Earth Kingdom capital. 

Part of him was hoping for the familiar figure of his Nephew to stumble out of the woods and into the shore, so that he could be picked up. But it hadn't happened yet and there were parts of the coast Iroh didn't dare to check, not with how close they were to Ba Sing Se.

Which was probably the main reason Zuko had been left here in the first place. They had already successfully killed one Fire Prince three years ago, why would they fail to do so again? Especially when the prince in question was a _thirteen year old boy_.

Iroh tried his best not to imagine the worst.

He was failing.

They would soon run out of shore to check, they were almost too far from the spot Zuko had been dropped off at for him to have walked this far. Iroh didn't think it likely that they would find him.

He gripped tightly at the ship railing, wanting to spew out fire and destruction for failing to keep his Nephew safe. For failing to reach him.

There was nothing he could have done at the Agni Kai – he tried to desperately convince himself of that, even if in the dark moments of the night he sometimes imagined himself standing up and stopping his brother before he mutilated his own son.

But what to do now?

Zuko's treatment at his father's hand had caused an uproar in surprisingly large circles. Not only the mutilation – that could almost just be passed for strict parenting in the Royal Family, as sick as that though made Iroh – but the exile, with no quest, _no chance at all to return home_. That had been the part that made the hackles of the lesser nobles rise. They could never imagine treating their main heir like that, no matter how seemingly incompetent or disliked they were. And for the Crown Prince to be cast aside in that manner...

If Zuko had been given a quest, only the peasants and the merchants – who he had defended by standing up for the 41st – would have protested. Or not even protested, grumbled quietly and feared for their lives, more likely. Nothing of consequence would really have happened, not politically. Nobles would just have concentrated on getting into Ozai's, Azula's or Iroh's good graces. But now even good graces couldn't be trusted, if the bonds of family failed.

A rebellion was brewing in the Fire Nation.

And Iroh had to be there, to steer the direction. The world was out of balance, there was no Avatar, and Sozin's Comet was only three years away. That would be used to eradicate the Earth Kingdom, of that Iroh had no doubts.

He couldn't let it happen. Not the deaths and losses. And he couldn't let the world get even more out of balance. Something had to be done.

The rebellion may indeed be the best chance to bring Fire Nation closer to peace, and appear more palatable to the other nations.

Iroh could only hope.

True balance and peace would require the Avatar, but he couldn't think of a single place that they hadn't looked for already. Sozin scoured the world for what remained of Air Nomads, and Azulon all but decimated the Southern Water Tribe.

The Northern Water Tribe and some strongholds in Earth Kingdom were the only places that hadn't been looked through.

Could the Avatar still be somewhere?

He fiddled with the White Lotus piece in his pocket, thinking. If he returned to the Fire Nation, to work the rebellion, maybe he could ask some of his friends to look one more time for the missing Master of Four Elements...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week has been super unmotivating. I wanted to write an actual chapter but nope, I've got two paragraphs. Hopefully an interlude helps a little?
> 
> I post random stuff on [tumblr](https://returquoise.tumblr.com/).


	8. The Job – Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko thinks about the important things in life, aka food and history. Although he thought he left history lectures behind at the Fire Nation.

It didn't take Zuko long to get into the rhythm of the work. The actual copying part was generally pretty relaxing – the grinding of the ink stone, the delicate strokes of the brush – while unrolling the original scrolls was the most stressful part. He was perpetually afraid one of them would disintegrate into a pile of dust in his hands.

The most headache-inducing part was either the still healing facial burn, or the contradictions to the history he had learned before.

Nothing seemed to make sense, and everything seemed to have some sort of extra aspect to it that he had never heard of before. Like Fire Lord Kazunori's wealth being an important factor in why he was chosen to lead the Fire Nation, like how the Peasant's Revolt before Fire Lord Zarle's reign stemmed not only from the long war preceding it but also the taxes _and_ that the power games in court played a part in it.

If nothing else, it left him even more convinced about the fact that Fire Lord Zigmun had been a dick. Azula and... Father... had generally regarded Fire Lord Zigmun as a great Fire Lord, if not for his "short reign and unfortunate choice of bride."

Not that Fire Lord Zarle was that great either. He mostly just used the peasants and the revolt for his own ends. And while Zuko could see the political aspects of it, he couldn't say that he necessarily agreed with all of it, no matter how worried Fire Lord Zarle had been about Fire Lord Zigmun being married to Chin the Conqueror's niece.

Zuko's head was really starting to hurt. Most of the things he knew about the Peasant's Revolt was based on a play that, in hindsight, had been very pro Fire Lord Zarle and hadn't talked terribly much about the peasants themselves.

He sighed heavily and cleaned his brush. He couldn't focus, it was getting hard to keep track of all the important people and events.

Lunch and sunlight, after that he would feel better when he got back to the scrolls.

Zuko fetched a tray from the kitchen and made his way to the walkways. He wrapped the makeshift eye-patch around his face before stepping into the light and slumped to sit down into the patch of warmed stone.

It was leftovers from his breakfast and he noted distantly that he was getting better at seasoning his food. Being forced to cook his own meals hadn't necessarily been fun but it was educational. And a bit boring when it came to his breakfast and lunch selections but he knew he didn't have the energy or the focus to cook three unique meals each day, not if he wanted to actually get his job done.

He was truly learning to appreciate leftovers and things that lasted long. The chefs at the palace would have been fired if they ever dared to serve such things but if there was only one person eating, then foods like that were like blessings from the Great Spirits.

After he had all but licked his rice bowl clean, he slumped to lay down on his back. He didn't feel like sitting properly on his break, not with the sleepy, numbing feeling of nothingness that seemed to fill the library whenever he wasn't focusing on a scroll.

He was getting a bit bored of all the reading. His job was all about reading and he didn't really have any other options for his free time either. He was just... existing among all of these dusty scrolls and books. He wanted to _move_ but there really wasn't any space to do so. Firebending sets – even without a flame – were a bit too mobile for the walkways and the corridors.

And if he ever felt ready to bend again... he shuddered. 

He didn't even have swords and those had the same space issue.

Zuko gave a long, annoyed groan as he stretched in the sun, feeling vaguely like a pygmypuma.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there, eyes closed, just drinking in the sunlight, when his employer decided to pay him a visit.

"Excellent, you're taking care of your health."

Zuko opened his right eye, feeling too lazy to actually sit up. He probably should but... Wan Shi Tong didn't seem to mind about anything he did, as long as he took care of himself and the books.

"Yes, sir," Zuko answered instead, "Is there any other spot with sun in the library? The walkway is a bit..."

Public, even though there really was no one but Spirits to see it.

"No," Wan Shi Tong answered, "Everything else but the tallest spire is underground."

Zuko sighed with disappointment and rolled up into a sitting position. He considered asking for space to move but dismissed the thought. He would ask one of the Seekers, they were more likely to help without questions.

"How is your work?"

"Rather well, sir. It's just," Zuko hesitated, "a lot of the historical records don't match up with what I've been taught. I was a prince! I had the best education Fire Nation could offer but..." he shook his head in confusion.

"Ah," Wan Shi Tong mused and seemed to... shrink? roost?... nevertheless, he settled into a tad lower position on the walkway, as if sitting down with Zuko, "that would be because of the historical national narrative."

"Historical national narrative?" Zuko lizardparroted back.

"Indeed," Wan Shi Tong's voice took to a tone reminiscent of Zuko's old tutors, "Historical national narrative is the official order of historical events and what they mean to a nation. For example, let's say a nation has been built with the ideal of," the owl Spirit seemed to stop and consider for a moment, before continuing. Zuko was left with the impression that he had been planning to say something else, "with the ideal of strength and diversity. The historical national narrative would downplay aspects that do not fit that ideal and focus on the aspects that do strengthen it. Earth Kingdom is nominally only one kingdom, but in truth made up of many smaller kingdoms, that do bow to the authority of the High Earth King in Ba Sing Se. The different cultures and ways of life are encouraged, something to be proud... outside of Ba Sing Se. Ba Sing Se is about unity and strength, it's the center of Earth Kingdom, the untouchable symbol of the might and steadiness of Earth. So can it afford to be diverse on the inside?"

Zuko shook his head slowly. The Schooling and Culture minister was very particular about the education system and what was being taught. Education was always one of the first things that was brought to a new colony, because they had to teach how unity was better than separation. And that worked better through schools. Fire Nation was so strong because it had a strong education system for everyone who would fight under its banner. Earth Kingdom outnumbered Fire Nation, they couldn't win if there were a dozen different systems and schools of thought.

"This is why the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se, the Dai Li, are so important. They are in charge of keeping Ba Sing Se strong by keeping the diverse thoughts and peoples out," Wan Shi Tong continued, "But that isn't really talked about outside of Ba Sing Se, because Earth Kingdom as a whole and Ba Sing Se have different narratives. The outside thrives on their diversity and view people like Chin the Conqueror with scorn – except for few select places, because they would have thrived with his rule – and do well in battle because every part of the Earth Kingdom has a different bending style and a different battle strategy."

That was true, adapting to the different tactics at different parts of the Earth Kingdom had been a constant headache for the War Minister.

"That is, of course, the historical national narrative of Earth Kingdom," Wan Shi Tong said, "There are moments that do not fit the narrative and are thus not talked about. Chin the Conqueror is, again, an exception because he grew powerful enough that he cannot just be skipped over. But Kyoshi Island is another example, they are too diverse and separate from the general Earth Kingdom narrative, so their role in Earth Kingdom history books is generally relegated to 'Avatar Kyoshi retired to her home island, the main export of which is fish.' And after that, they're out of the official narrative as they've remained neutral in everything since then."

Wan Shi Tong leant closer to Zuko, and he felt like those bottomless black eyes were going to swallow him whole.

"In historical national narrative, people, events, and details that do not fit, are not talked about. Every nation wants to look their best and feel their best about themselves, and this is only possible by building a national narrative which enables it. They are not necessarily a bad thing, as long as one thinks critically about them. It is impossible to teach everything ever, especially correctly, as things have been forgotten or lost, or the connections aren't obvious. There are so many variables that historians can dedicate their entire lives to researching a single event from different viewpoints. You have been taught the Fire Nation's historical national narrative your whole life. This is a chance to think on it critically."

Then Wan Shi Tong swept out of the hall, disappearing into the shadows.

"Yes, sir," Zuko muttered into the empty air, feeling overwhelmed, and unexpectedly chilled.

He would need to do a lot of thinking. What did the narrative he had learned leave out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me making up historical bullshittery: let's just plagiarize actual historical events and change the names and details, no one will notice. G.R.R. Martin gets away with it all the time!
> 
> Also trying to make up nonexistent examples for my impromptu historical national narrative rant was really hard, which is why it's vague. Also, both I and Wan Shi Tong definitely took a stroll down the tangent lane but meh.
> 
> Critical thinking is important! And this is finally over 10 000 words, woohoo!
> 
> I post random stuff on [tumblr](https://returquoise.tumblr.com/).

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [The Forge Within](https://archiveofourown.org/works/29692947) by [jalfal64](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jalfal64/pseuds/jalfal64)




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